Aptenobytes

Another cool politician!

From the Harvard Gazette: :

Mockus, the only son of a Lithuanian artist, burst onto the Colombian political scene in 1993 when, faced with a rowdy auditorium of the school of arts' students, he dropped his pants and mooned them to gain quiet. The gesture, he said at the time, should be understood "as a part of the resources which an artist can use." He resigned as rector, the top job of Colombian National University, and soon decided to run for mayor.

The fact that he was seen as an unusual leader gave the new mayor the opportunity to try extraordinary things, such as hiring 420 mimes to control traffic in Bogotá's chaotic and dangerous streets. He launched a "Night for Women" and asked the city's men to stay home in the evening and care for the children; 700,000 women went out on the first of three nights that Mockus dedicated to them.

Every so often, something goes click in your mind...

This little line from Rockwell.com;"The 1994 revolution failed of course, in part because the anti-government opposition was intimidated into silence by the Oklahoma City bombing of April 1995.", made me start thinking about what the similarities between Oklahoma and 9/11 were, both having the effect of shutting down movements that were starting to have an effect on the growing power of the state. It starts to make my little conspiracy minded head start putting pieces together. I didn't agree with the motivations of the right wing militias, but was appalled at the way the power of the state attacked Ruby Ridge, and for connected reasons, the compound at Waco. It's interesting to look back and see how the propaganda managed to paint all people opposed to big government as loonies...

I've always believed that both events were allowed to happen, perhaps even coaxed along, by people with more power than scruples. I just haven't been able to quite figure out why. I don't think any of us ever will, but I think I've just added another piece to the puzzle.

New Years Resolutions.

I could make a bunch, and not keep most, or make two and really stick to them. Here they are:

Personal Resolution:
Get in shape, more specifically, make it down to 200lbs and get back to bicycle riding more often.

Political Resolution:
Make a real difference in the Municipal elections next November.

Not a resolution, but I'd also like to get my Lambretta back on the road this year.

Friday Cat Blogging on the last day of the year....

Is there anything more ridiculous looking than a cat having a bath?

Where are all the dead animals? Sri Lanka asks

"No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit," he added. "I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening."

As I desperately try to find something good, some ray of sunshine....

A Gay Christmas indeed. ;)

a growing group of Biblical scholars believe that Christ may have had at least one sexual relationship with another male.

credit to SisterTalk for pointing this one out...

oh.

Words fail me.

Wheee!

Well, another Christmas done and gone. Lots of excitement this year. It started Christmas Eve when we had about 19 of our nearest and dearest friends over for an afternoon of food and drink. 'Round about 10:30pm the last of them stumbled out the door, followed by a half hour clean up, then sleep.

Foggy headed in the morning, we had to get all geared up to go over to Pender Island. Rounding up our stuff was the easy part. Rounding up the cats however is, as we discovered, something that should wait until the first cup of coffee has been consumed... Simon was simple to round up, seeming to take the attitude that he'll probably get fed wherever we're going, so why fight it. The ever adorable Merlin decided that he most decidedly did not want to go into the cat carrier. He demonstrated this by releasing approximately a quart of spray. While I was holding him. To the mellifluous tones of his howling, one could hear the liquid start to hit the wall, followed by my redirecting the stream towards a more cleanable surface, as I shouted "Get me a towel!" We got him to the cat carrier, opened the door, put him in, and then closed the door. Only one problem. In the nano-second between releasing him and closing the door, he managed to launch himself out of the carrier, and half way across the room. Another small chase ensued, during which Merlin was able to release the last urine in his body in dribbles all the way up the stairs, around the corner and into the bedroom. Scratch that. Not urine, but spray. Pungent cat spray. He also managed to get just enough on both my pants and sweater that I had to change out of my carefully chosen Christmas outfit. The adorable little girl Lola bit both Lance and Lara as they caught her... after I moved the fridge out of the way so that they could get to her in the first place. She also managed to scratch Lance deeply enough that he spent the weekend anointing himself with various ointments to avoid infection. After a game of ring around the posey played around the bed, I caught Furleigh, who then commenced screaming as if I was torturing her. This prompted Merlin to attempt to squeeze through the 1/2" spaces in the grill work of the cat carriers door. Wheee! They then proceeded to settle down and act like angels for the rest of the trip. Go figure.

We had a delightful Christmas day, exchanging presents, eating fabulously, and generally unwinding for the rest of the day. We spent the next two days similarly occupied. The trip back on Monday was uneventful, the cats practically jumping back into the cat carriers. We opened the store Tuesday morning, and had quite a pleasant day. It was also a marvellous night. Starting with a goodbye party for the sushi restaurant next door that was closing, where we had our last sushi and tempura and sake for a while.

I then got to see my friend Jenn (Who I quoted on Dec. 5th)! Yay! A beer lubricated conversation lasted well into the night discussing politics, health care, privacy, relationships, parenting (of dogs, and potentially children)... everything. It was great. I miss her.

That pretty much brings me up to date.

cool graffiti

Roadsworth Stencils from Montréal

The days are getting longer... My thoughts on the seasons celebrations...

This season is a festive one for all of us in the northern hemisphere. Ragnarok has been averted, as the sun came back up. The days are getting longer. For whatever reason you're celebrating at this time of year, it all comes down to agriculture. The hardest part of the winter isn't over, but we now believe it will end.

As an atheist, I've never really been comfortable celebrating Christmas. It's never been fun for me growing up, as it's always been "There's lots of booze in the house so let's have an earth shattering not talk to each other for years family fight-mas".

Falling in love with a jewellers daughter, and joining the family business has changed that. Most people celebrate at this time of year, and a lot of people buy jewellery for celebrations. We're super busy, and we work our asses off, but at the end, we collapse then celebrate. There's probably more alcohol consumed, but it's celebratory, not avoidance.

I still don't celebrate Christmas, but I do celebrate the season, the solstice. I celebrate every one else's joy.

The flip side is the sorrow I used to see when I used to work as a nightclub doorman. People who aren't celebrating at this time of year are either angry, depressed or desperate. There are the angry people who end up starting fights on Christmas Eve. There are the depressed who start drinking when the bar opens, and are hoping to pass out long before it closes. Then there are the desperate. The ones who will be at the Open Door food bank, or the people we'll be counting on Jan 15th. The ones who are desperate every day... although, at this time of year they are remembered more than most. It speaks volumes about most people's true goodness that the gross abundance on most North Americans table at Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Saturnalia triggers a concern for the less fortunate. Charity may not be the best response to the imbalance of wealth, but it beats the hell out of apathy.

I've realized that once again I've done a stream of consciousness rant. What the hell is the point? Well, basically, I believe that this is a time of celebration, but that celebration should be tempered by an awareness of the fact that not everyone can celebrate. Take some time this year to think of what you can do to change the structure that allows some to starve or freeze to death on Christmas day, while we feast. There isn't anything wrong with our feast. There is wealth enough for all to feast. What is wrong is that some can't.

I'll take a few moments to plan what I'm going to do to try and change that in my neck of the woods in the upcoming year.... Then I am going to have a stupendously good meal.

Enjoy. I may post some linkage tomorrow, then I'm gone until Monday!

Love y'all!